The UK spent the first half of 2021 largely in lockdown, as coronavirus brought society to a halt.
Despite this, the legal system continued to function, working through a backlog of serious cases.
We have compiled a list of some of this year’s most noteworthy trials involving killers linked to south east London and north Kent.
Gareth Standing, 38, knocked out father-of-five Wayne Hoskyns with one punch in Crayford, after taking offence to something he said.
The 41-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he later died with his family by his side.
Standing presented himself at a south London police station days later and was arrested on suspicion of Wayne’s murder.
He was subsequently pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and he was sentenced to four years and eight months imprisonment.
David Lockyer, 75, had been drinking when he ploughed into schoolboy Josh Osborne as he crossed the road.
The pensioner fled the scene but was chased down and confronted by another driver who saw him speed away.
The football and boxing loving 11-year-old died two days later.
Lockyer, of Orpington, was found guilty of causing death by careless driving and causing death while driving a motor vehicle while unlicensed following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court in November 2020.
In January, at the same court, he was handed two-year prison terms for each offence - to run at the same time.
Mohamed Kolokoh, 18, of Court Road, Eltham, was involved in a knife fight which resulted in the death of 19-year-old Francois Kablan, an aspiring footballer.
Jurors heard how Francois and a friend became involved in an altercation with two defendants, who were armed with knives, which quickly escalated.
Francois was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem held two days later gave cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.
Kolokoh a Lambeth 16-year-old, who cannot be named, were sentenced to spend eight years in custody and five on licence for manslaughter.
Elijah Morgan and Jedaiah Param
Crosslon Davis, 20, suffered at least nine wounds to his head, back and chest when he was set upon by four youths armed with knives or machetes.
Most of the attack in Deptford early on December 6 2019 was caught on shocking CCTV footage.
Mr Davis had been a “highly regarded” drill artist and member of the Harlem Spartan collective based in Kennington, south London.
He had been shooting a video for his latest track the day before he was attacked, the Old Bailey heard.
Elijah Morgan, 20, and Jedaiah Param, 21, were found guilty of murder and having a blade following a trial.
The pair were each jailed for life in April with a minimum term of 28 years.
Taylor Williams, 18, from Bromley was stabbed in the heart at a flat in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in August 2019.
During the trial, the jury was told that Williams was part of a London-based county lines drug network, and had been staying at a flat when rivals from another drug network turned up and tried to rob him and his associates.
Soyege was an enforcer for a London-based gang and was sent to eliminate competition from two rival drugs groups in Basingstoke.
He robbed a drugs runner, then attacked a second gang, driving a knife "up to the hilt" into Mr Williams' chest, he added
Soyege, 29, of Dagenham, was convicted at Winchester Crown Court of murder, robbery and conspiracy to rob and sentenced to life in January.
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